The Best Types Of Meat To Use For A Charcuterie Board

As reported by Insider, charcuterie boards have found a new lease on life in the 21st century, largely thanks to their artisanal nature and photographic appearances. Charcuterie board influencers — yes that's a thing — have flooded social media with tips and tricks on how to present the most aesthetically pleasing board; there are even a few books on the topic, too (via Goodreads).

Yet, creating a fantastic charcuterie board relies on substance as well as style. After all, there is little opportunity for substandard products to hide when being eaten in such a stripped-back setting (per The Guardian). When attempting to build the perfect charcuterie board, a range of high-quality products must be sought out, especially when it comes to meat.

Not only must this meat — known as charcuterie — be of high quality, but it must also be of a varied nature. Having an array of meat types, flavors, and textures present will ensure that the eating experience is diverse and exciting. Fortunately, great charcuterie can come from anywhere in the world, with the old bastions of central Europe being joined by other producers, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, to name a few. More options mean harder choices, so we have highlighted the best types of meat to include in your next charcuterie board, whether you want a fun evening meal or to be the next charcuterie influencer.

The only serious contender to prosciutto di Parma's throne is jamón Ibérico, the famous, acorn-laced ham that comes from Spain's ancient, intricately interdependent agroforestry system, the dehesa (via National Geographic). Fortunately, the two hams differ so much in texture and taste that having both on the same charcuterie board will not pose an issue.

The ultimate grade of this ham is the black label, which is awarded when the pigs are 100% purebred, allowed to roam freely on the dehesa, and only eat a diet of wild acorns (via the Independent). The ham produced by these animals is sensational. It's known to almost melt on the tongue thanks to the bucketloads of umami it boasts. The flavor profile finishes with a nutty, floral aftertaste.

Unfortunately, not all pigs are destined to reach the acclaimed heights of black label jamón Ibérico de bellota. There are three lesser grades produced in Spain, with each being more affordable than the last. 

Indeed, such is the demand for cheaper yet still distinctly Iberian ham that some American companies have begun importing the famous blackfoot pigs, as reported by The Guardian. This ensures that whatever your budget, you should be able to add this unique and iconic ham to your charcuterie board.

Many charcuterie boards focus on pig meat, and rightly so; the range of flavors and textures that can arise from this one animal is simply astounding. However, variation is the spice of life, and this is no truer than when it comes to charcuterie boards. Using cured meats from different animals instantly imbues your board with a range of flavors and textures. As explained by Fine Dining Lovers, bresaola is a type of beef made with cured topside, silverside, and eye-round cuts. It is one of the most prevalent non-pork charcuterie options, a fact attested to by the product's healthy export statistics highlighted by Assica (per Italianfood.net).

Bresaola is not only distinguished by being a beef product but also by its ruby red color and aromatic, spiced flavor. The latter is largely thanks to a spicing process that uses robust flavorings, some even as bold as nutmeg (per Volpi Foods). These spices are massaged into the meat, which lends it a seasoned dimension not frequently seen in whole-muscle charcuterie cuts.

While native to Italy, bresaola is increasingly being produced in the United States. In The New York Times, food critic Florence Fabricant highlights Brooklyn Cured's spicy bresaola, which is flavored with spicy Calabrian chiles, as an excellent American-produced charcuterie option.

The history of mortadella is one marked by peaks and troughs. As reported by The New York Times in 2000, this Italian cured sausage was banned from American soil between 1967 and 2000 due to an outbreak of African swine fever. Mortadella's return, as highlighted by the publication, was a joyful one, and the salami has continued to grow in popularity over the last two decades. It has been frequently championed by notable figures in the food industry, such as ex-Bon Appétit star Alex Delany, who seems to find an excuse to add a slice to absolutely anything.

For British audiences, mortadella's appearance has proven to be a barrier to consumption, as conceded by Enzo Mirto, cofounder of the London restaurant Officina 00. "While mortadella's appearance might look unsophisticated," he said in an interview with Pellicle Magazine, "actually, its preparation requires a lot of different phases: sourcing, mincing, seasoning with many spices, molding and cooking with 72 hours smoking at very low temperature, adding wood to the furnace piece by piece, which is what gives it the special pinkish color."

Pellicle also highlights the time-consuming process of making mortadella, which includes mixing and grinding meat, fat, spices, and ice a total of five times to achieve the product's smooth texture. This iconic characteristic, alongside its unique blended flavor, makes it a great contribution to charcuterie boards.

Bottega di Calabria highlights soppressata as the premier salami in Calabria. This is no easy feat when you consider that this southwestern region of Italy is also home to other globally renowned salamis, such as 'nduja and capocollo. While both these salamis are excellent, soppressata is in a league of its own. This is partly because only the highest quality lean cuts of meat are used in its preparation (per Bottega di Calabria).

Aside from influencing the taste, the use of premier lean cuts also gives this salami a distinct, coarse texture (per Carnivore Club). There are three main types of soppressata, each made with a different spice. White soppressata is made with black pepper, sweet soppressata has red pepper, and spicy soppressata includes hot pepper. Each of these will serve as an excellent lean meat option for your charcuterie board, providing respite from the fat-heavy options previously mentioned. The common consensus is that when served on a charcuterie board, this salami should be cut into thick slices to better demonstrate its coarse texture.

If 'nduja represents the new wave of globally popular spiced salami, its predecessor is undoubtedly chorizo. Great British Chefs reports that this cured meat has been created under various guises in Spain for centuries. However, the undeniably Spanish product that we know and love today owes a large part of its iconic taste and crimson appearance to smoked paprika. This smoky spice only came to the country during Spain's colonization of the Americas.

There are regional flavorings that also play a part in the taste of chorizo. Chorizo produced in Spain's northern Basque region will nearly always feature choricero peppers, as reported by Edible Idaho. In Mexico, chorizo is made with Mexican chili peppers. (via Fine Dining Lovers). It should be noted that Mexican chorizo is raw and must be cooked; therefore, it's better to stick with Spanish chorizo for your charcuterie board. 

As charcuterie, Spanish chorizo combines 'nduja's enticing flavor profile with a more classic salami texture. It is a very common and popular addition to most charcuterie boards thanks to its widespread availability (via Euro Meat News).

Kielbasa can loosely be defined as any sausage made in Poland or using Polish techniques and recipes, as noted by MasterClass. Of course, by its very nature, this classification ignores all the numerous intricacies and variations found in kielbasa across Polish cuisine. One such variation is smoked kielbasa, which is usually made with a cut of pork that has been hot-smoked for several hours (per Great British Chefs).

As the Michelin Guide notes, meats such as kielbasa add variation to your charcuterie board by providing smoky notes that cannot be found in other types of cured meat. However, it is advisable to only include one or two smoked meats on a charcuterie board, as the smoky flavor can soon overwhelm your palate and mask the flavors of other proteins (per First Post).

Including a whole smoked kielbasa can also contribute to another key facet of charcuterie boards — interaction. By having a piece of meat that guests must cut for themselves and others, you instantly create an environment that facilitates conversation, interaction, and enjoyment, as explained by The National Lottery Community Fund.